Excitement Grows As Pope Francis Lands In DC
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJZ) -- People are excited about Pope Francis' visit to DC. President Barack Obama was there to greet the Pope, as well as several other dignitaries.
Those dignitaries include Archbishop William Lori and Governor Larry Hogan.
Marcus Washington has more.
Pope Francis landed at Andrews Air Force base shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday -- and will have a jam-packed schedule through DC including a parade, a trip to the White House, a speech to Congress and a mass.
His visit is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors and even if you're not planning on seeing his Holiness, his trip will no doubt impact the daily lives of Washingtonians.
"Just to be near him will be wonderful," said one woman.
It's the topic of every conversation: the Pope's presence.
"Every other sentence is `Something, something, the Pope,'" said one woman.
READ: What You Need To Know About The Pope's Visit To DC | LIVE BLOG | More Pope News
The Pope will address 25,000 people Wednesday.
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He's coming," said one woman.
The excitement in Catholic University's campus can only be contained for so long.
"I was in class today and I checked my phone and I got a message that I could get tickets," said one student.
"We are so excited to have the Holy Father come and bless us," said one woman.
Traffic and congestion are inevitable, both on the roads and the rails. Some are opting to work from home to avoid traffic altogether.
"The Red Line is difficult on any given day, especially when there's supposed to be like how many hundreds of thousands of people expected,' said one commuter. "So yeah, I'm not even going to try it, I'm just going to stay home."
If that's not a viable option, Metro suggests a few things -- get a SmarTrip card and make sure it's preloaded. No rush hour service. will be offered on Wednesday and Thursday. And if you do plan on venturing out to see his Holiness, Metro is offering a special card sleeve featuring the Pope.
READ: What You Need To Know About The Pope's Visit To DC | LIVE BLOG | More Pope News
"I think it's exciting he's coming. I appreciate the messages he's spreading. He's doing a lot to inspire and excite people which we haven't' seen in a long time," a DC commuter said.
This trip brings many firsts for the church -- Pope Francis will be the first pope of Latin America to celebrate the Canonization mass on U.S. soil. He will also become the first pope to speak before a joint session of Congress.
The Pope like many heads of state will be greeted in style. He will pull up slowly to the South lawn with the red carpet rolled out for his arrival.
President Barack Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife along with Catholic church leaders will greet the Pope when he lands at Joint Base Andrews.
